950 North Kings Road #208

West Hollywood's Prestigious Address

Story Posted On: March 7, 2016

In The Courtyards, West Hollywood's most sought-after resort style complex. This luxurious two bedroom/two bath condo is walking distance to Michelin-rated restaurants, high-fashion shopping & all the perks WeHo is famous for dreaming up.

2 Beds | 2 Baths |

950 North Kings Road, #208 in The Courtyards, West Hollywood’s most sought-after resort style complex. This luxurious two bedroom/two bath condo is walking distance to Michelin-rated restaurants, high-fashion shopping & all the perks WeHo is famous for dreaming up.

The Dodge House. Photo courtesy: designmiami

The Courtyard was built on the former estate grounds of the Dodge House, an international-style architectural master residence at 950 North Kings Road.

North Kings Road has a rich history of creative residents: from Charlie Chaplin to Aldous Huxley, Rudolph Schindler to Warren Zevon.

The neighborhood’s atmosphere has sizzled with creativity for the past century. Architect Rudolph Schindler built his now-iconic house at 835 N. Kings Rd. The home assured the street would be forever associated with a distinctive Southern California style of modern residential design.

But the Schindler house almost wasn’t built:

“Local planning authorities initially denied Schindler’s request for a building permit, citing his novel “tilt-slab” construction technique as being “too radical” for that time (1922). Many trips and extensive talks later, planners relented somewhat by granting Schindler a temporary permit. This meant that the building department reserved the right to halt construction at any stage.

That didn’t happen, of course, and Schindler went on to design some 500 projects. Almost 150 were built using his “radical” Schindler Frame technique. The modernist studio-residence remains a West Hollywood landmark visited by thousands of architectural enthusiasts annually. It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1971.” – wehoville.com

Brave New World author, Aldus Huxley, lived at 740 N. Kings Rd. Following the death of his wife, Maria in 1955 Huxley moved from Kings Road. A 72-unit condominium development was built in 1973 on the site of their former home.

Charlie Chaplin, and Theodore Dreiser, author of Sister Carrie were close friends and neighbors on North Kings Road.

Photo courtesy: Yelp

Chaplin kept a writing studio only a few steps away at 819 N. Sweetzer Ave. The group of English-style cottages where he did much of his writing is a boutique hotel today that bears his name, The Charlie.

The City of West Hollywood’s website notes that North Kings Road “is exemplified by its prestigious list of residents” that includes accomplished actors such as Jane Wyatt, Ray Milland and Betty Furness, in addition to Huxley and Dreiser. More recent residents have been Billy Bob Thornton and singer-songwriter Warren Zevon. Zevon died from cancer in his North Kings Road apartment in 2003.

Bohemian Rudolph Schindler and his avant-garde wife Pauline hosted Sunday open houses at their North Kings Road studio-residence.

Frank Lloyd Wright frequented the Schindler’s weekly gatherings. Schindler was a senior associate in Wright’s firm and it was only natural that Wright would visit the Kings Road house.

In addition to its famous residents, the street was also exemplified by its significant modernist residential architecture, according to West Hollywood’s website. Wright, in fact, had a substantial influence on the development of North Kings Road.

Wright associates designed at least three houses on the street: the Schindler House at 835; the Dodge House at 950 (Irving Gill, architect), and the Reif House at 906 (Aaron Green, architect).

Viennese-born Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra, two of the most influential modernist architects of the 20th Century, briefly worked as partners in the home their families shared in 1920s L.A.: The Schindler House. They’d known one another since their Austrian school days, when they eagerly attended coffeehouse lectures by the polemical design theorist Adolf Loos; both had also worked briefly for Frank Lloyd Wright.

For five years Schindler and Neutra cohabitated and shared studio space in the Schindler House before they had a falling out, and Neutra moved out.

Neutra and Schindler, separately, would go on to create many private, public, and commercial properties throughout Southern California and elsewhere. Then, in 1953, decades after their parting, they ended up surprised to be sharing a randomly assigned L.A. hospital room.

What might have happened in that room is the subject of The Princes of Kings Road, a play written and directed by Tom Lazarus.

The Dodge House at 950 North Kings Road was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright associate, Irving John Gill. Gill has been widely regarded as San Diego’s most prominent and innovative architect. He began studying architecture in the Syracuse, New York, office of Ellis G. Hall, then in Chicago under Joseph L Silsbee. In 1891 Gill worked alongside Frank Lloyd Wright at the firm Adler and Sullivan in Chicago.

Gill spearheaded the creation of the San Diego Architectural Association, a group intended to professionalize the trade of architecture in the city.

One of Gill’s most prominent clients was Ellen Browning Scripps, a self-made newspaper millionaire born in England and raised in the Illinois prairies. She moved to San Diego in 1891 and to La Jolla in 1897. Gill designed many Progressive projects for which Scripps sponsored the money, including the La Jolla Recreation Center and the La Jolla Woman’s Club, which together with The Bishop’s School and her own house formed a “Scripps enclave.”

Irving Gill – Photo courtesy: blog.modernica.net

Gill discussed his ideal of simplicity in his 1916 essay, The New Architecture of the West. For Gill, “the source of all architectural strength” emerged from the straight line, the arch, the cube, and the circle in combination. – sandigegohistory.org

All architectural elements that Gill used frequently in the Dodge House design.

The American Institute of Architects deemed the Dodge House one of the 15 most architecturally significant houses in the country. Regrettably, it was demolished in 1970.

In 1999, West Hollywood dedicated a half-acre pocket park at 1000 N. Kings Road on land that was formerly the garden area of the Dodge House.

There’s an explosion of light in this incredible 2 bedroom and 2 bathroom condo. No wonder The Courtyards of West Hollywood has attracted stars to live there. Davy Jones was a former resident right across from #208, and it is rumored that Demi Moore also lived at 950 North Kings Road.

With sleek modern spaces it’s no wonder the Courtyards of West Hollywood has attracted stars to live there. Davy Jones was a former resident right across from #208, and it is rumored that Demi Moore also lived at 950 North Kings Road.

Private west facing balcony to enjoy a cocktail at sunset. The gas fireplace is a dreamy accoutrement: even in Southern California you’ll find the perfect time to use it.

Hardwood floors stretch out in the open kitchen + living + dining experience. You’ll find updated appliances in the cook’s kitchen. Note: the breakfast bar is a perfect place to chill out with a post-workout smoothie.

Designer finishes with plenty of storage space and closets throughout.

Despite all of the amenities, 950 North Kings Road, #208 is a very quiet and peaceful unit–a veritable oasis in the heart of West Hollywood.

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